Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frdrive.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them on time (no later than Sunday, February 25 on or before 12:01am). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
- The play technically takes place in a car, years after the abuse. Li'l Bit is telling the story of what happened to her. She confronts her abuser, her Uncle Peck, through the retelling, as well as her family (mother, Aunt, Grandfather and Grandmother).
2. What is the intrusion?
- The moment the audience realizes the man is her Uncle Peck, because the audience is now wondering what is going to happen to Lil'Bit under her Uncle's care.
3. What is the unique factor?
- This is the day Lil'Bit decides to tell her story of abuse and come to turns with it.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
- Will they continue with their relationship? Has Peck done more than touch Li'l Bit?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
Information known to all or most of the characters:
- Coming to know Peck is her Uncle
- Coming to know what Lil'Bit and other sexual names of the family mean
Information known to only to one character:
- Li'l Bit had been sexually abused by her Uncle
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
- The last scene is the most theatrical moment I think. It has few lines, it is the last scene, and yet it is the scene with the most impact on the audience. It concludes and answers all the questions the audience has been
7. List some of the themes of the play.
- Pedophilia, family, alcoholism, marriage, sexual abuse, women, love, driving, freedom, relationships
8. Choose the character of Li'l Bit in the show and articulate what she wants and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
- Individual vs. Individual: Li'l Bit wants to move past what happened to her as a child, but her Uncle Peck is in the way. She can't go on because he is still making himself present in her life.
- Me vs. Myself: Li'l Bit must confront her own feelings and come to terms by telling her story, but it is obvious she has tried to leave it behind when she went to college and it has affected her life.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
- The image of the car as a means of freedom, and learning how to navigate the world. "How I learned to drive" is a metaphor for Li'l Bit learning how to move past bad memories, to use to skills she's learned later in life.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
- Li'l Bit is surrounded by family in the play. Her Uncle and her are too close for comfort, which makes her Aunt jealous. Her mother is very open with her because she feels her mother wasn't, and that led to her getting pregnant and married too early. Her Grandparents are traditional and yet still talk about things in front of her that most families would find crude. Them being so open about sexuality and sexual themes seemed to make it harder for her to separate what is okay and whats not. It drove her into the arms of her Uncle, who, ironically, was the only person she felt she could talk to.
- It redefined family in the sense that "family" is not always safe. Every family has their issues, and sometimes they feed into larger conflicts occurring within. There were several opportunities for the family to step in and say something to help Li'l Bit and yet never did.
Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page would read frdrive.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them on time (no later than Sunday, February 25 on or before 12:01am). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
- The play technically takes place in a car, years after the abuse. Li'l Bit is telling the story of what happened to her. She confronts her abuser, her Uncle Peck, through the retelling, as well as her family (mother, Aunt, Grandfather and Grandmother).
2. What is the intrusion?
- The moment the audience realizes the man is her Uncle Peck, because the audience is now wondering what is going to happen to Lil'Bit under her Uncle's care.
3. What is the unique factor?
- This is the day Lil'Bit decides to tell her story of abuse and come to turns with it.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
- Will they continue with their relationship? Has Peck done more than touch Li'l Bit?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
Information known to all or most of the characters:
- Coming to know Peck is her Uncle
- Coming to know what Lil'Bit and other sexual names of the family mean
Information known to only to one character:
- Li'l Bit had been sexually abused by her Uncle
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
- The last scene is the most theatrical moment I think. It has few lines, it is the last scene, and yet it is the scene with the most impact on the audience. It concludes and answers all the questions the audience has been
7. List some of the themes of the play.
- Pedophilia, family, alcoholism, marriage, sexual abuse, women, love, driving, freedom, relationships
8. Choose the character of Li'l Bit in the show and articulate what she wants and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
- Individual vs. Individual: Li'l Bit wants to move past what happened to her as a child, but her Uncle Peck is in the way. She can't go on because he is still making himself present in her life.
- Me vs. Myself: Li'l Bit must confront her own feelings and come to terms by telling her story, but it is obvious she has tried to leave it behind when she went to college and it has affected her life.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
- The image of the car as a means of freedom, and learning how to navigate the world. "How I learned to drive" is a metaphor for Li'l Bit learning how to move past bad memories, to use to skills she's learned later in life.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
- Li'l Bit is surrounded by family in the play. Her Uncle and her are too close for comfort, which makes her Aunt jealous. Her mother is very open with her because she feels her mother wasn't, and that led to her getting pregnant and married too early. Her Grandparents are traditional and yet still talk about things in front of her that most families would find crude. Them being so open about sexuality and sexual themes seemed to make it harder for her to separate what is okay and whats not. It drove her into the arms of her Uncle, who, ironically, was the only person she felt she could talk to.
- It redefined family in the sense that "family" is not always safe. Every family has their issues, and sometimes they feed into larger conflicts occurring within. There were several opportunities for the family to step in and say something to help Li'l Bit and yet never did.